Rituals
by Cherry Delight
Summary: Strange things are happening to Kaiba, and only Yugi seems to have the answers. What's done can never be undone, but maybe, with some help from Yugi and Jou, Kaiba can alter the course of his fate. Established S/J. Ongoing.
1. Chapter 1

_Just a little sexy, supernatural thriller I whipped up for fun!_

 **o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.**

The incessant ringing of Yugi's doorbell cut through his midday reverie and he hurried to the front door to see who it was. People didn't usually show up unannounced at his door on lazy Friday afternoons, and he immediately had a bad feeling about it. He braced himself for a policeman or an angry neighbour as he opened the door, but instead he found Jou standing there, looking a little worse for wear.

"Hey Yugi. Sorry I didn't call first, but can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?"

Jou seemed tired, and didn't immediately answer. Yugi motioned him inside, and Jou brushed by him, immediately heading for the living room. Yugi watched him collapse on the sofa, arms and legs all sprawled out, and wondered what it was that had gotten Jou so down. He took a seat in the chair opposite Jou.

"How did you know I closed the shop today?"

"Well, I went to the shop, and it was closed."

"Oh. That makes sense. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Jou closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. He seemed to be psyching himself up to something, and Yugi waited anxiously for whatever Jou might say. When Jou had pumped himself up enough, he sat up and looked Yugi in the eye.

"Remember you told me once that you have all this stuff in your head, like, memories or whatever, from when Yami was in there? About all that ancient Egypt stuff?"

Yugi was not expecting Jou to say that, and he frowned a little in confusion.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I think I need your help."

"Uh, ok. What's the matter?"

"It's Kaiba."

Again, Yugi was not expecting Jou to say this either, and this time his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What about Kaiba?"

Jou seemed reluctant to continue, but he took another deep breath and pinned Yugi with the most intense stare.

"You **cannot** tell him I talked to you about this."

"Ok, it'll be our secret," Yugi reassured Jou. Jou's attitude was beginning to worry Yugi a little. He sat forward in his seat a little and probed gently. "What about Kaiba? Is something wrong with him?"

Jou looked like he was having difficulty finding the right words.

"He's um, different lately," Jou settled on.

"Ok, that doesn't really help. What do you mean?"

"He won't eat, he won't sleep, he…" Jou faltered, "he won't even touch me. Bad things happen when he does anyway, but…It's like we're not even in the same place anymore," Jou finished forlornly.

"What happened? Did you guys have a fight or something?" Yugi's eyebrows drew together in concern; he knew that Jou and Kaiba had had some knock-down-drag-out fights in their time, but he had never seen Jou this worried before.

Jou shook his head. "Not exactly," he answered Yugi, and he was being so evasive, he started to make Yugi suspicious. Yugi thought he had an idea of what Jou wanted and thought it best to quash it up front.

"You know, Jou, I can't use Yami's memories to curse him or anything. If you want some kind of revenge spell, I can't help you."

"Gee, thanks Yugi," Jou said indignantly. He looked wounded that that was Yugi's first assumption. This, of course, sent Yugi right back to square one, and he was once again as confused as he was at the start.

"Well, if you guys didn't have a fight, then what is it?" Yugi asked again, bordering on exasperation at Jou's roundabout explanations.

"I…there's something wrong with him."

"Well, what exactly? You're being pretty cryptic right now. I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is."

"That's the thing, I don't know! It's just all these different things adding up and it's…God, Yugi I'm actually scared." Yugi knew Jou was serious from his tone, and he instantly became attentive.

"Ok, well just start at the beginning."

"Alright. First, it started as these dreams. He said they weren't nightmares, just regular dreams, but they were all of him as Set, you know that old High Priest guy."

At the mere mention of Set's name, Yugi instantly became wary. "I remember. What was he doing in these dreams?"

"He didn't really say. I think it was, you know, temple stuff. Praying or something."

"Ok, then what happened?"

Jou looked soberly at Yugi. "Then they did turn into nightmares. He would wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air like he was choking, and sometimes he'd say things like 'No, it's mine' or 'Let go' or 'I won't let you.' He still does."

"Oh," Yugi said, a soft sound of realisation as his brain whirred and bits and pieces clicked into place.

"Then he started spacing out while he was awake. I'd be talking to him and he'd just be staring at the wall - just staring, you know? And I'd have to shake him out of it, and he'd get this look on his face, like he'd been hallucinating or something, you know? Like he'd been somewhere and he was glad to be back."

Yugi mulled this over silently for a few moments, while Jou anxiously looked on. "What happens when he touches you?" Yugi prodded.

"Oh my God, this sounds so stupid…" Jou mumbled to himself before elaborating. "We get this little shock, a charge, like static electricity or something. Sometimes I get these flashes of light, and sometimes I think I see things, but maybe not. I don't know…it's only for a second, and then it stops, and it doesn't even happen all the time, but it's just so weird…"

"What do you see?"

"I told you, I don't know. I can't tell."

"What else? There's more, isn't there?"

Jou's mouth dropped and his eyes widened. "How did you…do you know what's wrong with him? Tell me, Yugi. It's not…you can fix it, right?"

Yugi didn't answer. Instead he said, "I need to know everything. Just tell me what else has happened."

"Well, see, this is the part where shit gets crazy, and I mean _crazy_. You are not gonna believe it."

"Well, just tell me anyway."

Jou took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Well, we were, you know…" Jou raised his eyebrows and looked at Yugi meaningfully.

"What?"

"We were _together_ …"

"Uh huh, and?" Yugi was clearly clueless, and Jou reluctantly spelled it out for him.

"Oh God, Yugi don't make me say it! We were together _in bed_ …"

"Oh! Oh, ok." Yugi's cheeks reddened, and he motioned Jou to keep going.

"Anyway, we were together and in the middle of it we…I mean, it just felt weird - different, you know? It felt like…I realised we were…"

"What?"

"We were…" Jou closed his eyes and swallowed, "...floating."

"I…I don't get it. I'm glad you guys have great sex and all, but I don't really understand…"

"I knew you wouldn't believe it. I mean floating, as in, hovering in the air, as in, levitating two feet above the bed."

"Uhhhm…"

"Yeah, can't really say anything thing to that, can you?" Jou looked as though he himself still couldn't believe it.

"Anyway," he went on, "I freaked out and we fell and crashed and he wouldn't even admit that it happened! He just kept saying it was a trick of the mind or something…and since then, I can't talk to him about any of it. He just… _pretends_ nothing weird is happening. And now he's like – Zombie Kaiba. He hasn't been in to work in two weeks. He just stays at the mansion locked up in his study reading all these books and I know he's trying to figure it out, but he just won't even consider the idea that it's not his body or his mind playing tricks on him. That it's not…natural." Jou looked at Yugi in despair, continuing in a soft voice.

"It isn't natural, is it, Yugi?"

"No, it's not," Yugi confirmed almost sadly.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Jou looked fearful, almost as if he didn't really want to know.

"I think so," Yugi said slowly, nodding slightly. "I think Yami knew this was coming; I'm pretty sure I know what's happening to him."

"Then you can help him?" The hope in Jou's face was overwhelming, and Yugi wondered if he could help Kaiba at all.

"Well, that depends on Kaiba," Yugi replied cautiously.

Jou snorted. "Of course it does. What's first?"

"Well, we have to convince him that what's happening is real and dangerous. He has to believe that those nightmares and hallucinations are going to come true unless we stop it."

"'We?' As in, you and me? We have to sit him down and convince him that Nightmare City is for real?" Jou scoffed. "Why not just ask for the moon while you're at it?"

"Yeah, I know it's gonna be really hard, but we have to get him through this." The edge in Yugi's voice alarmed Jou even more.

"That does not sound good. What the hell is happening to him?"

"I think I'd better talk to Kaiba first."

"Ok, fine. Just tell me one thing. How bad is it?"

Yugi looked Jou dead in the eye. "It's really bad."

 **o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.**

 **Yup, this is happening.**


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell is this?"

Kaiba paused mid-step, with his foot on the bottom stair of the staircase in the mansion foyer. He was just heading upstairs after a late breakfast and was surprised to see Jou greeting Yugi at the front door.

"Yugi just came for a visit is all." Jou tried to be nonchalant, pretending to be cheerful and dismissive all at once, but he didn't have a nonchalant bone in his body and Kaiba was instantly suspicious.

"Hi," Yugi half-waved at Kaiba and squinted. "You look horrible, Kaiba."

"Why, thank you."

"Are you wearing jeans? I don't think I've ever seen you in jeans before."

"I'll make sure to fire my stylist," Kaiba quipped drily. "Just what exactly are you doing in my house at eight-thirty in the morning?" Kaiba asked disdainfully.

"I asked Yugi to come over," Jou interjected, looking noticeably nervous now.

Before he could say anything else, Yugi blurted out, "I know about what's going on with you. I'm here to try and help, Kaiba."

Kaiba shot a look at Jou that clearly screamed 'traitor,' then his eyes sliced across to Yugi again. He crossed the foyer to stand directly in front of Yugi and looked down at him scornfully.

"I don't need it. You can go now," Kaiba said coldly.

Kaiba turned his back on them and walked away. Then Yugi said something that sounded like gibberish to Jou, but seemed to clearly affect Kaiba.

"Ehet eremun brahan."

Kaiba stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face Yugi.

"What did you just say?"

"You've heard it, right? Those words? In your dreams."

Kaiba stared at Yugi, lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out.

"Do…do you know what they mean?" he finally asked, somehow managing to sound both controlled and aloof, but his intense gaze betrayed his torment.

"They're an incantation. From the past, from ancient Egypt."

Kaiba silently pivoted around and made a beeline for the stairs again.

"Wait, Kaiba! You know I'm right! You see yourself, but you're not yourself, you're someone else. And you're doing things you would never do, saying things you don't understand."

Kaiba's steps slowed on the stairs, but then they picked up speed again. Yugi darted after him, talking to Kaiba's back as they cleared the stairs and headed down a brightly lit corridor.

"They don't feel like dreams, do they? It feels real, you can feel the knife in your hand, smell the blood, taste the sand."

Jou, who had been following them silently, reacted, casting a bewildered gaze in Seto's direction.

"Whoa, what blood – what knife?"

Kaiba looked at Jou, clearly upset that he had heard that.

"Stop." His carefully even tone and the glare he levelled in Yugi's direction clearly brooked no argument and would have shaken lesser men.

Kaiba turned away from Jou's confused face and grabbed the door handle to his study.

"That's because it is real, it's happened," Yugi continued, ignoring Kaiba's warning. "You did it. I mean, _you_ didn't do it, but - that ritual, it's real and -"

"I said stop!"

Kaiba angrily flung his arms wide and the door flew open, revealing a mess of books and papers stacked on every available surface. His jagged panting was the only sound in the still air as he slumped against the doorjamb, his back to the others.

"Whatever you're researching - it won't help you, Kaiba," Yugi said softly. "What you're dealing with is way bigger and older than anything in any book."

"Do you really know what's happening to me?" His voice was muted, maybe with defeat, or at least acceptance, Yugi thought.

"Yes. I think I do."

"Then just tell me." He turned to face Yugi, and looked literally pained to say it, to admit that someone else had what he needed.

"It's not that simple."

"Then explain it to me. I think I'll be able to keep up. You have twenty minutes." And just like that, Kaiba was back to his normal, domineering self. He strode into the study and motioned them to follow him, once again in control of the situation.

o.O.o.

Kaiba and Yugi sat facing each other over the large wooden desk in his study, studiously ignoring the heaps of books and papers littering the entire area, while Jou took up residence in the corner closest to the door, leaning against a bookcase.

"Well?" Kaiba questioned, eyebrow raised and shoulders set. Yugi knew he would not want to hear what he was about to say, and he tried to figure out how to explain it to Kaiba so that he wouldn't kick him down the stairs immediately.

"Kaiba, I know you're still coming to terms with this reincarnation stuff, but that's at the centre of what's happening to you," Yugi started gently. "I need you to just bear with me and really listen to what I'm saying to y-"

"Eighteen minutes."

Jou rolled his eyes in his corner.

"Let's start at the beginning. Do you remember that duel with Marik at Battle City, where we had the vision of the past?"

"Yes," Kaiba grudgingly acceded.

"Ok. You remember seeing someone who looked exactly like you, right?"

Kaiba said nothing at first, but his body language indicated that he did. "Yes. I remember Set," he said finally, raising his eyes to meet Yugi's.

"Alright, good. I know you've heard this before, but - you _are_ the reincarnation of Set. You were him in your past life, in many past lives, actually. Your soul keeps being reborn through time. I mean, you're still you, but you were also him, get it?"

The look on Kaiba's face was strange; not dismissive, but not altogether accepting either. It seemed to Yugi that Kaiba was caught somewhere between disbelief and despair, and he might have said something reassuring if Kaiba hadn't snapped back into CEO mode.

"Sixteen minutes," Kaiba said in an efficient, clipped tone. Yugi really had to give it to Kaiba, the way he could keep his composure no matter the circumstance was amazing.

"Alright, I can tell you're not gonna give this a chance till you hear it all, so here goes. When Set was High Priest, he was possessed by something…evil. He did a lot of things during the time he was possessed. A lot of…bad things."

"What does that have to do with me?" Kaiba asked impatiently.

"I'm getting to that. See, while he was possessed, all of Set's deepest, darkest desires were given free reign. The one thing he wanted more than anything else was power. And he thought that the only way he could get that power was through eternal life. He took a series of…measures…so that he would never really die. He chained his then-consciousness to all of his future reincarnations. That's why you've been dreaming those things, seeing those things."

Kaiba was silent for a few moments, digesting this information, turning it over in his mind, and Yugi could see he was struggling to decide whether he should believe it and continue their discussion, or beat the shit out of both him and Jou for making him even entertain the idea. Finally – thankfully – Kaiba relented, and reluctantly addressed Yugi.

"So, say I buy this. What does he want with me? There must be a reason for these…visions." The distaste on Kaiba's face was clear as he spat out the last word.

"He's trying to take back his body, his life. Only now, it's your body, your life."

 **o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.**

 _I made some stuff up yall, I don't know no Egyptian, ancient or otherwise. Also, I took some artistic license with the ancient Egypt storyline; fanfiction ftw!_


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi's terrible words filled the room, echoing and reverberating around them.

"Wait, what? I don't get it. How is that even possible?!" Jou said from his corner.

"The ritual," Kaiba said before Yugi could reply. "It's the ritual."

"That's right. I think you understand it, the ceremony, the rites. What they do."

"It's a contract," Kaiba said slowly, "between him and some dark…power." Kaiba chuckled humourlessly. "I can't even say the words, this is ridiculous." He pressed the tips of his fingers to his eyes and then ran his hands roughly through his hair. Yugi had never seen him this frustrated before, and his tone became gentler.

"It might sound ridiculous, but it is true. On some level, you believe that. Look at all this stuff," Yugi gestured around the room. "You've been looking for them, the incantations, the rites. You won't find them. They've been lost for aeons."

"I know," Kaiba said sourly. He stared down at his desk, his eyes unfocused, unseeing.

"Back then, it was Ishizu who insisted that I was Set," he said impassively. "She showed me the ancient tablets, begged me to help you. I…totally dismissed her. I thought if anyone would know what's happening to me, it would be her. But...she has no clue," he said haplessly.

Yugi was honestly taken aback; for all his posturing, Kaiba had gone as far as to contact Ishizu. The Ishtars might have been the Pharaoh's guardians, but even they only knew what had been handed down through the generations, and this malevolent, black magic had had no witnesses, far less transcribers. The only reason that Atem had known was because he saw all, knew all in the spirit world. He wasn't surprised that Ishizu couldn't help Kaiba. He glanced over at Jou, and judging by his stunned expression, it looked like this was the first that he'd heard of it, too. They listened as Kaiba continued in his low monotone.

"The things that happened in Battle City…they had a very specific context. The puzzle, and the rod, and the God cards, and fanatical lunatics…huge moving pieces in some weird, shadow conspiracy. But this – there's no catalyst. There's no cabal, no plotting or scheming, no one trying to steal something or kill me. At least, not in real life," he grimaced.

"How could I just wake up one day and be someone else?" he mumbled, fingering the edge of a book, almost talking to himself.

"I thought if I could find the ritual, if I could understand it, I would get some peace. I know what it means, but I don't know how it works. If I could – I just need to know how to stop it, stop the dreams, the visions, everything. There has to be a way." Kaiba raised his eyes to Yugi's. "There is a way, isn't there?"

"Yes, but you won't like it."

"Hey, I still don't get it. I barely understand what you guys are talking about, here," Jou said, diverting the conversation from the more ominous direction it was taking. "Rituals and possession – and Yuug said something about a bloody knife...this is some scary shit. You've been keeping a lot from me," he said, eyeing Kaiba steadily.

Kaiba's silent, unwavering gaze spoke volumes.

"I have," he said eventually. "I didn't want you to know. I still don't. Maybe Yugi and I should-"

Before Jou could cut Kaiba off with an angry interjection, Yugi beat him to the punch.

"No, we need him."

"What?" both Jou and Kaiba asked at the same time.

"If you want to fix this, we need him."

Kaiba started to object, but Yugi interrupted him.

"Kaiba, wait. Just let me explain this all the way through, then you can decide what you're willing to do. Both of you."

Kaiba's exasperated sigh mirrored the sentiment of Jou's helpless shrug.

"Sure, whatever, but just start from the beginning again, please, I really don't get it."

"Ok. When the High Priest Set was possessed back in ancient Egypt, he performed a ritual to make sure that his spirit would come back to his body, no matter what the incarnation, and now he's trying to take over Kaiba's body-"

"No, I get that part, what I want to know about is the ritual. What did he do?"

"That's not relevant," Kaiba said quickly. However, Yugi promptly answered.

"It was a human sacrifice."

"Yugi, don't!" Kaiba roared, and Jou immediately countered.

"Yugi, you tell me everything!"

Jou didn't need to be so agitated, Yugi had every intention of telling him exactly what he wanted to know. He just looked at Kaiba calmly. "He has to know, Kaiba. He has to."

Kaiba's stony silence filled the study, and Yugi resumed his explanation.

"It was a human sacrifice. See, the way the ritual works, to seal the contract you need something of great value to exchange for eternal reincarnation."

"A human life."

"Not just any human life. An innocent. Someone with a pure soul, and a kind heart, untouched by the world's evil." Yugi sounded like he was quoting from a book. Jou looked back at Kaiba then, searchingly.

"So, in these dreams, you're seeing yourself killing an innocent person."

Kaiba met Jou's eyes and gave a slight nod.

"With a knife?" Jou's voice sounded small, tinny.

"I cut her heart out," Kaiba said deliberately, holding Jou's gaze.

"I'm in a dark room made of dirt and stone. Strange symbols on the walls, on the floor. Altar in the middle. I say the words, I raise the knife, I bring it down…" he mimed the actions subconsciously, clutching an imaginary knife in his fist, slowly making a stabbing motion in the air. He noticed with an almost imperceptible start and roused himself, quickly snatching his hand back down.

"There's so much blood, it just won't stop coming, and it's hot and wet and slick and I can barely hold the knife anymore and I can taste it, it's in my mouth and I know she's screaming, she's screaming, but I'm…laughing. I'm laughing," he finished, incredulously.

"That's the ritual. That's what I do in my dreams every night. That's what I see every day when I'm pouring coffee, or taking a shower, or walking up the goddamned stairs. Those same images. Over and over and over again."

Kaiba stared wrathfully at Jou as if to ask 'Are you happy now?' Jou just blinked, dead air stretching between them until he finally spoke.

"That wasn't you, though."

"It was."

"But it wasn't!"

"I'm sorry, Kaiba, but we had to tell him," Yugi said, reluctant to interrupt their exchange, but keen to get back to the matter at hand. "And Jou is right, it wasn't you. But this is all beside the point. We need to stop this, fast. It's getting stronger, isn't it? You can feel him now. His emotions, his thoughts. It's like you've started sharing space in that body, and he is going to push you out if you don't stop him."

Kaiba took a long shuddering breath and exhaled forcefully. Yugi could see the strain this conversation was causing Kaiba; keeping an open mind had never been his strong suit.

"So how do I stop him?" Kaiba asked, clearly exercising the last of his patience.

"Fight fire with fire," was Yugi's firm response.

"So, you're saying…I need to do my own ritual?"

"Yes, exactly."

"With my own sacrifice."

"Yes. That's where Jou comes in."

 **o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.**

 _Shit's about about to get wild!_


	4. Chapter 4

Kaiba's laugh echoed loudly, ricocheting off the study walls.

"There is no way on this planet that –"

"This ritual is different, Kaiba. It's the same concept, but you don't have to kill anyone. I would never suggest that! No one is coming at you with a knife, Jou," Yugi said to his flabbergasted friend.

"Well, thanks." His sigh of relief was audible. "What would I have to do, then?

"Well, that's the thing, it's not really that much safer."

"Oh, that's way reassuring, Yuug."

Before Yugi could explain further, however, Kaiba broke in, stern and authoritative.

"It's not happening. Whatever it is, it's not going to happen."

"You don't get to make that decision alone, Kaiba. If there's something I can do, I'll do it. At least let Yugi explain what it is before refusing to even consider it!"

Kaiba hesitated, conflicted between the desire for information and the desire to retain control of the situation; and as he vacillated, Yugi seized the opportunity to continue, barrelling ahead quickly.

"Basically, instead of taking an innocent life, you offer something – someone – you cherish as…spiritual collateral, I guess you could call it. In a way, it's stronger than…the other option. Love is always stronger than death."

"Why didn't Set do that?" Jou asked.

Yugi took a moment to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. "I don't think he could have. The concept of eternal life is itself inherently unnatural, evil. It requires an equally evil act to accomplish it."

"Like straight up murder," Jou stated, and Yugi nodded.

"Besides, he was possessed. I don't know if he had anyone he loved, but if he did, all that love would have disappeared anyway. I mean, I don't know if someone who could do that would even…"

Yugi didn't bother to finish his thought, it would be useless getting into a discussion about that now. He personally didn't think it was possible that someone could carve up a human sacrifice of their own free will and still have love in their heart, but he'd seen so many people do so many twisted things in the name of their supposed love that he honestly didn't know what the real answer was. He darted a glance at Kaiba, who was just listening quietly, steepled fingers pressed against his lips, clearly irritated as he stared at a spot on his desk.

"So, blood magic for evil, love magic for good?" Jou asked, still diligently trying to comprehend these ideas that were so entirely alien to him.

"Uh, I think that's an over-simplification, but in this case, sure."

"Ok, I think I get it. I'll do it, whatever it is."

"Do not agree to something you know nothing about." Kaiba was instantly back in business-mode, poised and calculating. He fixed Yugi with a chilling stare and addressed him directly.

"If there's one thing I know in this world," he said with a sardonic smile, "it's contracts. So, what's the fine print, Yugi? What exactly does 'spiritual collateral' mean?"

"Just what it sounds like, I suppose," Yugi said. "Jou's soul will be your collateral, in case anything happens to you during the ritual."

"In case what happens to me? You haven't even told me what it does yet."

"Right, sorry." Yugi was getting ahead of himself, he was so focused on convincing Kaiba to believe him that he'd completely forgotten to inform him of the most salient fact – the ritual's intended purpose.

"Basically, we'll create a space between this world and Set's where you can meet him, face to face."

"Meet him?" Kaiba echoed in disbelief. "And what would we do, exactly? Talk it out? Or maybe have a friendly game of cards?"

"Not exactly. You have to…do battle, I guess?" Yugi screwed up his face and then shook his head in exasperation. "I'm not really clear on what that means, exactly…I wish I could say that it all came down to a game of Duel Monsters, but…"

"No such luck, huh?" Kaiba said wryly.

"I honestly don't know," Yugi shrugged. "I wouldn't rule it out. I mean, I guess it _could_ be a game of Duel Monsters, but it would probably be the way they played it back then."

Kaiba looked at him blankly.

"You know, real monsters?"

"Ah," Seto said. He lowered his head into his hands and let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"And what happens if Kaiba loses?" Jou asked, and Kaiba's head snapped back up. They both peered expectantly at Yugi, intent on his answer.

"Set takes over his body, and he lives out the rest of this life as Kaiba. Kaiba's consciousness will replace Set's in the void and he'll disappear."

They contemplated this possibility in deafening silence for what seemed like half an eternity, before Jou asked another question.

"And what about me?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Yugi confessed hesitantly. "If Set wins, your soul is forfeit, and he can do whatever he wants with you."

"So, he'd kill me?"

Yugi's head tilted slightly. "He could. Or…"

"Or what?"

"He could keep you."

"Keep me?! Like a pet?" Jou was wide-eyed and incredulous, his voice almost a shriek.

"Nnnn…more like, an acolyte? Someone to ease his transition into this world. I imagine he'd have a lot of catching up to do since his last reincarnation."

"And he could do that? Make me do things for him?"

"He could make you do whatever he wants. He could make anyone do whatever he wants," Yugi said ominously, and Jou's shoulders twitched, as if a shiver ran down his spine. Yugi wished that there was another way out of this, looking at Jou, obvious worry and fear creasing his features. But there just wasn't.

"The truth is, I really don't know what would happen. All I know is that if Kaiba does nothing, Set taking over is inevitable. At least this way, there's a chance of stopping it."

They both looked at Kaiba who hadn't said anything for the past few moments.

"I'd like you to leave now. This has gone on too long."

"Hey," Jou said softly. He walked over to Kaiba and grabbed his chair handles, swivelling Kaiba's chair to face him before hunching down in front of him. "I am doing this. I believe in you. You won't lose."

"I don't want to hurt you."

Jou chuckled softly, but Kaiba was dead serious, and Jou's expression became gentler.

"You never hurt me, Seto," Jou murmured. "Even when it hurts, it doesn't really hurt," Jou said in an intimate whisper that made Yugi a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat to remind them that he was in the room too, but they just continued to gaze at each other.

"This is different," Kaiba said, almost plaintively.

"I can take it," Jou stubbornly insisted up at Kaiba.

"Can you? Can you really?!"

Seemingly instantly, Kaiba was heated, and he swiftly grabbed Jou's wrists that were resting on the arms of the chair, sliding his grip up Jou's forearms. Yugi saw Jou's initial flinch, he assumed from the contact shock he'd described, but he was surprised to see Jou's face slowly contort into a mask of pain.

"Let him go!" Yugi said anxiously, but Kaiba had already released him. Jou fell backwards and fetched up against the nearest bookcase.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"It's getting worse," Kaiba said, calmly stating the obvious.

"Yeah, no shit! What…Yugi, what the hell is this?"

"It's like, energy overflow. Everyone has their own energy, one body, one soul. But now Set is trying to take you over, his energy is forcing its way in and it's too much for one body."

"How come I'm the only one that feels it?" Jou asked, righting himself and getting to his feet again.

"Well, Jou, I think you're the only one who touches Kaiba," Yugi said, a hint of pity creeping in, unbidden. Yugi stole another quick peek at Kaiba, but the latter showed no indication that he even registered Yugi's comment, again pressing his fingers to his eyes.

"This is so crazy…" Kaiba murmured, but Yugi was done letting Kaiba waver on this. It was imperative that they didn't waste another moment on indecision and confusion. Unless they took immediate action, Set's return would be certain, and Yugi was willing to do anything to prevent that from happening, even if Kaiba wasn't just yet.

"Look, we have to do this as soon as possible, Kaiba," said Yugi. "We're running out of time. I don't think we have much longer before he takes over completely."

Twin glares lasered in on him, which Kaiba returned balefully, switching back and forth between Yugi's determined stare and Jou's steadfast one, with neither party showing any sign of relent.

"I'm doing this," Jou said finally, steely resolve glinting in his eyes, and Kaiba just glowered back, finally giving the tiniest nod. Jou sighed his relief and turned to Yugi.

"What is this ritual? What do I have to do?"

"We need an empty room, lots of dirt, some pigs blood, and oh yeah, you guys have to have sex on an altar."

 **o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.**

 _If you thought I wouldn't find a way to make this sexy, you clearly know nothing about me or my life goals. Thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed!_


	5. Chapter 5

The pungent smell of dirt and sweat filled the air as Jou and Yugi laboured to prepare an empty, windowless room at the Kaiba mansion for the ritual. Huge bags of dirt lined the wall closest to the door, waiting to be spread around the room, and Jou and Yugi moved like well-oiled machines, their movements now swift and efficient after tedious repetition.

"It would be nice if Kaiba helped us," Yugi said as he cut open another bag of dirt. He struggled to dump out the contents on the floor, then he grabbed a nearby rake to spread the dirt around.

"Yeah, he said he doesn't touch dirt," Jou huffed as he heaved another full bag across the room. Even through his panting, Jou still managed to look annoyed at Kaiba's abandonment, and he flung his cargo on the floor with considerably more force than was necessary.

It had been almost a full day since Yugi and Jou had convinced Kaiba to agree to the ritual, and Kaiba had been scarce for most of that time, leaving the preparations to the two of them. Jou propped himself up on his shovel and surveyed the room, taking a moment's reprieve from his continuous toiling. It wasn't a small room by any means, and they were only halfway done with covering the floor with dirt. As soon as they were finished with the floor, they'd have to go get the fresh pigs' blood from the butcher. Jou had expected to field suspicion from the butcher's shop, or at the very least curiosity, but no one had asked him a single question about why he needed ten gallons of pigs' blood as soon as possible, which made him wonder what weird, depraved things people had been doing while he lived in blissful ignorance. He'd wanted to talk to Kaiba about it, but he'd barely seen him since they'd made their decision, and when he had, Kaiba was understandably preoccupied, distant.

"Besides," Jou continued, "I think he's working on something at KaibaCorp. For in case he doesn't…" Jou didn't finish, picking at the shovel handle. "He just said he was getting his affairs in order. Some kind of contingency plan, I guess."

"That does sound like Kaiba," Yugi said, doggedly pulling his rake across the dirt at his feet while Jou watched silently. Jou knew he should be helping, time was ticking away, but something had been niggling at the back of his mind for hours and he figured he might as well ask. It wasn't like they'd be going anywhere for a while, after all.

"Hey, I've been thinking and I have a question. I mean, I actually have _so many_ questions, but…"

Yugi looked over his shoulder at Jou. "I'll answer if I can," he said, quickly turning back to his rake, not slowing down for a second.

"I know that once we get this over with, Kaiba'll be safe for now, but what about in the future?"

"He'll be himself as long as he lives," Yugi assured Jou, steadily dragging dirt over another patch of clean floor.

"No, I mean, like…his next life. Or the one after that," Jou explained to Yugi's back.

Yugi finally stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Jou as he continued.

"Once we do this ritual, I know he'll be safe this time, but what about after? Does this cancel out the other ritual, or what? Or is this the last time he'll be reincarnated…or whatever?"

Yugi processed Jou's question and his own answer for a moment before he responded. He took in Jou's earnest face, and he hated to disappoint him.

"No," Yugi said morosely. "That was blood magic, and what's done is done. He will be born again, and I can't say for sure what will happen next time, but I know that Set will return."

Jou nodded his head slowly, clearly thinking about the plight of the future Kaibas.

"Who knows, maybe he'll find you again."

Yugi smiled at Jou wistfully, and Jou looked sadder than Yugi had ever seen him. Jou tried to smile back, but failed spectacularly, something akin to a faint grimace appearing on his face.

"Yeah, maybe," Jou managed hoarsely, looking away quickly. He picked up his shovel and turned back to the task at hand, and after a heavy moment, so did Yugi.

 **o.O.o**

Loud voices disturbed the eerie afternoon quiet of the Kaiba mansion, echoing off the walls. The three of them were in the ritual room, arguing over what had started as a disagreement about the runes that were to be painted on the wall with the pigs' blood. Kaiba had insisted that he had no time to paint the runes himself, while Yugi insisted that it had to be Kaiba or it wouldn't work, and in a surprisingly short time, things had escalated into a full-blown quarrel with Jou caught in the middle.

"I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense to you, Kaiba. It's not like it makes sense to me either, I just know what we have to do, okay!" Yugi said, frustration clearly ringing in his voice and twisting his face, while Kaiba glared at him from several feet away. Jou stood between the two of them, hoping to pacify the situation. He knew that Yugi was on edge, desperate to get everything done as fast as possible, and he shared his friend's apprehension.

"Please Kaiba, would you just let Yugi help you?" Jou pleaded, hoping to settle this squabble and get working again.

However, Kaiba seemed to be at his breaking point too. His eyes glinted and he exploded at Yugi, even though it was Jou's words that set him off.

"No one helps me! I take care of things, I always do, I always have. If there's a problem, I fix it, I don't…get help."

"Well, you do today!" Yugi snapped, actually yelling. "I might be trying to save you with this ritual, but I'm not doing it _for_ you, Kaiba! We have to stop this! Do you have any idea what Set could do in your body? With your money, your resources? Your reach?! He could break this world, and I refuse to let that happen. So bitch all you want, but we're doing this and we're gonna do it right!"

Yugi stormed out of the room, and Kaiba looked after him, almost in admiration. Jou shook his head in disgust at Kaiba and went after Yugi, finding him trying to calm down in the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," he said as Jou reached his side, leaning down next to him against the kitchen counter. "I didn't mean to yell."

"It's okay. He responds a lot better to force. Next time, throw in a kick or two."

Yugi laughed a little, but he was still upset about Kaiba's mulishness.

"He is so frustrating. If I say left, he goes right, if I say jump, he sits down. It's almost as if he just likes being contrary."

"Welcome to my world," Jou said wryly, bumping shoulders with Yugi. They stood in comfortable silence for a while, then Yugi looked up at Jou.

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Yes," Jou replied, without hesitation. "I love him. So fucking much. So much that I'll do whatever - _be_ whatever he needs me to be, whenever he needs it. His lover, his conscience, his punching bag…human sacrifice," Jou chuckled humourlessly. "This has to work, Yuug. I can't lose him. I can't."

"Well, he's such a stubborn asshole, I honestly think he's gonna beat Set with sheer willpower. If anyone can do this, it's Kaiba," Yugi said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone.

"He'd better," Jou mused wryly. "I don't think I'd look good in a toga."

Yugi opened his mouth to tell Jou that those were the ancient Greeks, but didn't bother. He supposed it was close enough. He had bigger fish to fry right now, a mission he'd been dreading this whole time. He just had one more thing to make sure of before he was confident that they could proceed with the ritual, the key element in determining its success or failure. He technically should have done it before starting anything else, but as usual, he'd gotten ahead of himself and was shovelling dirt before he'd even confirmed the most crucial detail.

Jou had just passed with flying colours, but Jou wasn't the one Yugi was worried about. One down, one to go, and he was not looking forward to the next part.

After he and Jou had returned to the ritual room, Kaiba finally conceded to drawing the runes on the wall himself. While Kaiba worked on the walls, Yugi and Jou worked on finishing the altar, which was really just a large circle in the middle of the room, large enough for Kaiba to lie down and stretch his arms out, filled with red clay and clearly outlined in a thick line of talc. When Kaiba had finished, however, Yugi finally spotted his chance.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wash this animal blood off of me," Kaiba said drily, holding his red hands in front of him as he stalked away toward the nearest bathroom. Yugi signalled Jou to wait for them and then hurried after Kaiba, catching up with him as he disappeared through an open doorway down the hall. He ducked inside the room and pulled the door closed behind him, startling Kaiba who was busy scrubbing his hands in the sink.

"Fancy meeting you here," Kaiba drawled, his eyes moving from Yugi's face to the closed door and back again, and it hit Yugi how awkward it actually was that he'd locked himself and Kaiba in a bathroom together with absolutely no preamble.

"I just wanted to…" Yugi started, but Kaiba's hard, questioning glare made him stop short. How could Kaiba still be so cold, so hostile in spite of everything they'd shared over the years? He and Kaiba were definitely going to have a long overdue talk about his animosity when all of this was over Yugi decided, and he tried again.

"What I said before, I didn't mean –"

"No, you were right. Set could do a lot of damage as me," Kaiba said plainly, showing no ounce of resentment over Yugi's outburst. He dried his hands and started for the door, but Yugi didn't budge, keeping the doorknob blocked.

"Um, not that part. I mean, it was wrong of me to say that _that_ was why I'm doing this. I want you to know that it's just as important to me to save you. Even though you clearly don't want to hear this, I consider you a friend," Yugi said, almost smiling at the look of distaste on Kaiba's face.

"And Jou loves you very much," he continued, covertly examining Kaiba's expression, but true to form, Kaiba's features revealed nothing useful. He hadn't taken Yugi's clumsy bait at all, and was instead intent on escape.

"If you're done apologising, we should get back to it," Kaiba said, obviously itching to wriggle away from their conversation, and Yugi sighed internally. Of course Kaiba wouldn't make this easy for him, he was going to have to be more direct. He took a deep breath and stopped Kaiba before he pushed his way out of the room.

"Kaiba, before we do this, I need you to be honest with me. This ritual only works if you really, truly love the sacrifice."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and his whole body stiffened.

"I have no doubt that you care about Jou and don't want to see him hurt," Yugi said holding his hands up pacifyingly. "So I know you won't intentionally put him in any danger. But I have to be clear, you need to love him, truly love him with all your heart for this to work. If you don't love him like that, you cannot let him do this. There will be consequences."

Kaiba said nothing, and Yugi could tell from his demeanour that he was livid, but he still pressed on, he had no choice but to force Kaiba to respond. It still wasn't too late to switch gears, change tactics before the time came for Jou to put his soul on the line.

"It doesn't have to be Jou. We can call Mokuba back from university. He can be here in a day –"

"No! If this doesn't work, everything will go to Mokuba – the company, our assets. I've left instructions so he'll know what to do to keep me – Set – away from our…'resources.'"

Kaiba glared at Yugi, drawing himself up before continuing.

"And if it doesn't work, it won't be because I didn't love him enough."

Yugi observed Kaiba carefully, and it was obvious that he was gearing up to say something. Kaiba pursed his lips, exhaling heavily through his nose, and his eyes darted to the side briefly before moving back to Yugi's with a surprisingly piercing intensity.

"I will only say this to you once, so listen carefully. Katsuya is my family now, and there's nothing I cherish more. There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect him, keep him safe. No one knows me like he knows me, like I let him. I trust him with my life. I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to love another person as much as I love him. With all my heart? That's a fucking joke. I love him in my bones, with every breath in my body, every atom of my being. You couldn't comprehend how much I love him."

Kaiba drew closer then, lowering himself so that he could stare Yugi directly in the eyes, and though his voice was low and even, it still made Yugi shiver.

"And don't you ever question my feelings for him again. Ever."

And with that, Kaiba barrelled past Yugi, pushing him away from the door and slipping outside, not that Yugi had offered any resistance. That was it, mission accomplished. Relief flooded through Yugi as he slumped against the wall. He'd done everything he was supposed to do, everything he could do, and it all seemed to be falling into place. Despite his worst fears, Yugi suddenly found himself feeling somewhat hopeful. Maybe things would work out after all.

 **o.O.o**

All three of them stood around the large circle marked out in the sand, the makeshift altar.

"So, you both have to, uh…" Yugi trailed off, searching for the right words. He looked like he was in a fair amount of distress, so Jou decided to help him.

"Cum?" he volunteered, and Yugi nodded gratefully.

"Yes. Both of you."

"So what, we just jerk off in the circle, or something?"

"No, you have to have sex."

"I don't see how we're going to have sex if we can't even touch each other."

"The room is consecrated now, so it should cancel out the whole electric shock, energy overflow thing."

Neither Jou nor Kaiba looked convinced, and Yugi urged them to test it out.

"Go ahead, try," he said, and Jou tentatively reached out to Kaiba, gently touching the backs of their hands together. When nothing happened, he pressed their palms together, interlocking their fingers, and still, nothing happened. Kaiba and Jou both looked at their clasped hands, and then up at each other, smiling.

"Well, whaddyaknow," Jou mused aloud. "It works."

"So, how long do we have?" Jou asked Yugi, never taking his eyes of Kaiba, who pulled Jou's hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips sweetly to Jou's skin.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked distractedly. He'd already started running through the remaining preparatory steps in his mind as soon as they'd made sustained physical contact and it was apparent that the consecration had worked, and was barely paying them any attention.

"I mean, how long can we be in here? Five minutes, thirty? All day?" he asked, his other hand grabbing a handful of Kaiba's shirt.

"Oh. Um, technically, there's no time limit or anything. But I mean, I wouldn't go overboard, Kaiba still has to face Set afterwards."

"Gotcha." A pause. "Do you have to be here?"

"What, like, do I have to watch? No."

"Well, that's a relief. Read the room, Yuug," Jou said as Kaiba's arms folded around him and they pressed their foreheads together.

"Right, you actually have to... Sorry, I'll get out now." He reddened despite himself, and while he spun around to hustle for the exit, Jou stepped into the circle, pulling Kaiba over the threshold with him.

"Remember not to cross the barrier after, Kaiba! And don't overdo it!" Yugi yelled over his shoulder, closing the door behind him just as their lips met.

 **o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.**

 _Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! I know updates have been very slow, but this is the first time I've posted something without having it completely finished already. It's very scary. There are two (or three) more chapters to go, so I hope you'll stick with me til the end. Thanks for your patience!_

 _Also, please be advised that the ritual would have been totally different for Mokuba, I am not into Kaibacest. Not that I'm judging you if you are. I'm just saying._


End file.
